Abstract
Pertussis is a vaccine preventable disease (VPD) monitored by the World Health Organization (WHO). Despite a long-established Pertussis immunization system, the re-emergence of the disease in some countries stressed the need to have well-trained field epidemiologists at the forefront in the fight against these VPDs, especially during an outbreak. Practical, hands-on training is useful for clearer understanding of the principles and development of competencies relevant to outbreak investigation, which will enhance field practice; case method training using realistic public health scenarios helps trainees put into practice learned theory. As such, this case study was adopted from a real Pertussis outbreak investigation that was conducted by Ghana’s Field Epidemiology Training Program residents, together with the rapid response team members of Dormaa Municipal health directorate in August 2016. It was primarily designed for training novice public health practitioners in a facilitated classroom setting. Participants should be able to complete the exercises in approximately 3 hours.
Keywords: Outbreak investigation, pertussis, Ghana
How to use this Study
General instructions: ideally, 1 to 2 instructors facilitate the case study for 8 to 20 students in a classroom or conference room. The instructor should direct participants to read a paragraph out loud, going around the room to give each participant a chance to read. When the participant reads a question, the instructor directs all participants to perform calculations, construct graphs, or engage in discussions. The instructor may split the class to play different roles or take different sides in answering a question. As a result, participants learn from each other, not just from the instructors. Specific instructor’s notes are included with each question in the instructor’s version of this case study.
Audience: residents in Frontline Field Epidemiology Training Programs (FETP-Frontline), Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programs (FELTPs), and others who are interested in this topic.
Prerequisites: before using this case study, case study participants should have received lectures or other instruction in outbreak investigation.
Materials needed: laptop with Microsoft Excel or graph paper, flipchart or white board with markers.
Level of training and associated public health activity: Novice - Outbreak investigation
Time required: approximately 3 hours
Language: English
Competing interest
The authors declare no competing interest.
Acknowledgements
We wish to acknowledge the support and contributions Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training programme (GFELTP) of the Faculty of the Department of Epidemiology and Disease Control, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, for their assistance. The team is thankful to the Deputy Director, Public Health Brong Ahafo, Dr. O.K. Afreh and his team, the staff of the Municipal Health Directorate, especially the surveillance team, Dormaa, the paediatrician Dr. Adomah Fokuo and her able medical team, and Presbyterian Hospital Dormaa for their cooperation, support and active participation during the investigation.
Resources
- 1.Kansas Department of Health and Environment . Pertussis Investigation Guideline. Accessed on 31 Aug 2016. [Google Scholar]
- 2.NC Communicable Disease Manuel . LHD Disease Investigation Steps: Pertussis. Accessed on 31 Aug 2016. [Google Scholar]
- 3.CDC . Pertussis - Chapter 3 - 2016 Yellow Book, Travelers’ Health. Accessed on 31 Aug 2016. [Google Scholar]
- 4.Washington State Department of Health . Pertussis Reporting and Investigation Guideline. Accessed on 31 Aug 2016. [Google Scholar]
- 5.Pertussis (Whooping Cough) History of Vaccines. Accessed on 6 Sept 2016. [Google Scholar]
- 6.Badu I. Assessment of Expanded Programme on Immunization Service Utilization in Sekyere West District of Ashanti Region, Ghana. 2010. [Google Scholar]
- 7.WHO . Expanded Program of Immunisation-EPI, Regional Office for Africa. Accessed on 10 Sept 2016. [Google Scholar]
- 8.Wikipedia Free Encycl . Expanded Program on Immunization. 2016. Accessed on 11 Sept 2016. [Google Scholar]
- 9.WHO Ghana . A Profile Ghana expanded programme on immunization in Ghana. Accessed on 18 Nov 2016. [Google Scholar]
- 10.Dorma Kaba . Annual report, Dormaa Municipal. 2015. [Google Scholar]
- 11.Wikipedia . Dormaa Municipal District. 2016. Accessed on 6 Nov 2016. [Google Scholar]
- 12.Wikimedia Commons . Wikimedia Commons: The Free Media Repository. Accessed on 26 Mar 2018. [Google Scholar]
- 13.GU Journal of Health Sciences . Community-based Health and Planning Services: Decentralizing Ghana’s Health System. Accessed on 10 Nov 2016. [Google Scholar]
- 14.The Community Based Health Planning and Services CHPS Initiative . CHPS PPME Concept paper Frank Abridged. Accessed on 10 Nov 2016. [Google Scholar]
- 15.Nyonator FK. The Ghana Community-based Health Planning and Services Initiative for scaling up service delivery innovation. Health Policy Plan. 2005 Jan;20(1):25–34. doi: 10.1093/heapol/czi003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 16.Ghana Health Service, Minstry of Health, WHO et al. Technical guidelines for integrated disease surveillance and response in Ghana 2nd Edition. 2011. [Google Scholar]
- 17.Adokiya MN, Awoonor-Williams JK, Beiersmann C, et al. The integrated disease surveillance and response system in northern Ghana: challenges to the core and support functions. BMC Health Serv Res. 2015 Jul 28;15:288. doi: 10.1186/s12913-015-0960-7. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 18.Kyei-Faried S, Appiah-Denkyira E, Brenya D, et al. The Role of Community-Based Surveillance in Health Outcomes Measurement. Ghana Med J. 2006 Mar;40(1):26–30. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 19.WHO . WHO-recommended surveillance standard of pertussis. Accessed on 3 Sept 2016. [Google Scholar]